Uncrating Christopher Columbus, 1955

56 years ago today, on Oct. 10, 1955,the ChristopherColumbus statue was uncrated in front of Columbus City Hall.

The dedication of the three-ton statue was the highlight of the city’s Columbus Day celebration two days later.

The statue was placed on the south side of City Hall and overlooks West Broad
Street. It was a gift from the citizens of Genoa, Italy, the birthplace of Columbus.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Here’s a picture of the statue in Italy, above, being loaded for its trip to
Ohio. The photo went out over the wire service with this caption:

"COLUMBUS TO SAIL ONCE MORE -- A 20-foot statue of ChristopherColumbus is placed on a pedestal in Genoa, Italy, prior to being loaded
aboard the Italian liner Cristoforo Colombo for shipment to the United States. The bronze monument
is a gift from Genoa to Columbus, and will be unveiled in Ohio on Oct. 12. The statue was cast at the Michelucci foundry in Pistoia.”

DISPATCH FILE
PHOTO

The statue’s designer,Edoardo Alfieri, of Genoa, Italy, is shown arriving in Columbus in 1955 to participate in the presentation of the statue in front of City Hall.

DISPATCH FILE
PHOTO

People crowded into the area to see the unveiling of the statue on Oct. 12,
1955.

The bronze plaque on the base of the statue reads:

Christopher Columbus

Gift of the kind citizens of Genoa, Italy, to the city which
so proudly bears the name of Columbus

"Testimonial of the values and virtues which the
figure and enterprise of the great son of Genoa has
entrusted to the human conscience."
Vittorio Pertusio
Mayor of Genoa

"We shall ever cherish and be guided by its
meaning."
M. E. Sensenbrenner
Mayor of Columbus